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Vincent explains to the Mikaelsons that in order to save Hope, he needs to divide the Hollow’s spirit and place it forever within each of the Mikaelson vampires with the aftermath being they can never see one another again. Meanwhile, the Hollow resurrects her servant Dominic and together with her acolytes, storm New Orleans, collecting other witches to serve them. Hayley confronts the Hollow but is easily beaten. When she comes to under Vincent’s care, he explains that Klaus can never see Hope which could sway his decision to undertake the spell. Hayley tells Klaus anyway as the Mikaelsons later storm the church and subdue Hope with the help of Marcel and Sofya. When Kol is presumed unable or unwilling to return, Freya decides to become a vampire to be the fourth, but Kol arrives to take her place. After the spell is cast, the Mikaelsons split with Klaus the last to leave, telling Hope he loves her. The next day, Elijah requests that Elijah and Vincent collectively help cast a compulsion spell on him so that he forgets his vow of loyalty and devotion to Klaus and his family. After doing so, he disappears. Hayley takes Hope to Mystic Falls where she and Alaric watch her interact with other schoolmates. In San Francisco, Kol prepares an engagement ring for Davina while in New York City, Marcel declares his love for Rebekah and the two reconcile. In France, Elijah performs on a piano in a club as Klaus watches his brother in the background, proud of his new life.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

Take out the rudimentary plot to once more split the Mikaelsons up, tonight’s season finale garnishes a much more sentimental outlook while never truly saying goodbye to the family that has outlasted time itself. The growth of Klaus and Elijah has seen enough peaks and valleys to take this spin-off and continue to untold tales, but for the first time, I think their final scene together really told the best tale between their birth and eventual ends. As a fan of The Originals, this finale struck the right emotional chord, if not for the idea that redemption is unachievable, but that happiness can exist in their separate lives. It may not be forever, but at least collectively it was at the same time.

THE GOOD

It’s easy to dissect, but Klaus’s moments with Elijah, Marcel and Hope at the end really have given the audience an idea of what full circle can mean for the oldest hybrid. His moments of confession and letting go are what we’ve been needing to see since his time on TVD when family and companionship was all he really wanted, and to lift some curses and stuff. In the present though, he wants to be left to his fate which he presumes will be the downfall of his humanity and eventual turn for the worse. Will he simply turn into the villain again, or can he maintain as Elijah’s ever watchful brother? I’m certain season 5 will answer that very quickly.

This is honestly more neutral than it probably should be, but the idea is still sound and I refer to Rebekah and Marcel finally joined as they had started all those years ago. Rebekah simply wasn’t buying Marcel’s candid appearance, but his sincerity won her in a heartbeat and now we’re given the proverbial happy ending she always wanted. I like it because that’s what I wanted from her. Since the beginning, she wanted that companionship and love from someone, almost anyone who showed feelings toward her and time and time again, she was parted from that happy ending, until now. The only real downside is not knowing if it will last into season 5.

THE BAD

The episode contain almost zero tension and drama regarding the fate of the Hollow. Even after Dominic was resurrected, there was no innate fear that the Hollow was going to be subdued at a real heavy price, and I speak of death not the separation of the Mikaelson family, which we know if ultimately temporary as this isn’t a series finale. The Hollow, in retrospect was just really a tool to get the Mikaelsons to part ways in a very forcible manner that they would never agree to on common ground. There could be some genuine irony if something or someone had to pull them back together because of something worse appearing that only the Hollow or her power could be used against. Imagine the darkness that would need to be in those shoes.

FAVORITE MOMENT

It’s a combination of Klaus’s confession to Marcel and the last season of the episode when Klaus watches his brother with a smile. Both are his real growth moments, the heavy pieces that we’ve been waiting to see as his story is being told. At the end of the day, he knows he can’t be redeemed and now he has to suffer any ill effects of the Hollow’s damning curse alone. He’ll dabble in quiet solitude and eventually revert back to some old methods to wash away the anguish, only this time, no one will be there to console him. Maybe Freya can see him from time to time, but without his daughter, Klaus can only dream of the future he could have had and that will make him miserable for as long as the earth will have him.

CHARACTER MVP

It really should go to all four Mikaelsons with Freya too going as far as to become a vampire to keep Hayley from having to leave her daughter. Everyone shared in the grief but knew the decision had to be made. Rebekah certainly complained the most, but even she understood what had to happen. And for once, it was good to see the siblings outside of New Orleans partaking in what most people could consider a normal life.

ENDING THOUGHTS

Where does the series go from here? A season 5 has been officially greenlit and eventually this family will have to come back. Will Elijah be boundless and free forever or will something happen to Marcel to erase the compulsion he’s still under? Will he ever recognize Klaus again, and for that matter, does he understand all the aspects of his vampiric life never remembering the family he had? How absent is he eternally?

Will Klaus being aound Elijah be a serving point in the next season to bring the Hollow its power to half-strength? I can see this as a tease to that eventual return mainly because Klaus couldn’t help but be his brother’s keeper now that their roles are seemingly reversed.

Can the Mikaelsons really be around any witches at all? Freya and Davina are powerful in their own right and could be lured to bring out the Hollow in some odd way. Vincent may not account for what will happen if an Original dies. Let’s say Kol for example, meets some dark and unexpected end. What will happen to the Hollow’s power and the rest of the his siblings? There’s still a lot that can go wrong here.

I’d like the next season to jump ahead and put Hope as more of the central character moving forward. She could be at an age where her abilities manifest in some form that maybe she’s convinced that she could bring the Mikaelsons back and purge the Hollow’s spirit herself whether Vincent’s around or not. She could at least have the confidence before finding out how wrong she might be and letting the Hollow reform back again. But at least the family would be back together.

OVERALL SCORE

7 out of 10. It was an overtly sentimental finale that if pursued as the true final episode, I would have cheered with thumbs up. But it’s not, and since they didn’t know, we didn’t get a raging cliffhanger that would have certainly been worse if they never came back. What this basically means is, whatever bow they wanted to put on this series, they’re going to have to do this all over again with more sentiments and goodbyes and probably throw in a few cures to boot before we finally shut the coffin on this world forever. I’m still excited to see what they’ll come in store with, but I’m hoping they take the time to really think about a villain base that makes sense and it equally compelling as the family itself. The Hollow was not a very interesting villain and we need likeminded characters challenging the Mikaelsons in ways they’ve never been challenged before. Write those episodes and season 5 will be unstoppable. Thanks for reading. See you next season.

With Hope’s blood, Freya coats a pair of daggers for her and Hayley to use on the Hollow while Kol is tasked by Inadu to keep a totem protecting her safe. Rebekah is sent after the totem and aided by Marcel, however Kol traps them in binding spell and goes to Hope to help her undo the linking spell between Inadu and Davina. Hayley and Freya track Inadu to a derelict home but are both subdued by powerful hallucinating spells. Freya fights against a form of Keelin who plays at her fears of losing her while Hayley wakes in the bayou with a form of Jackson stalling her from waking. Klaus finds Rebekah and Marcel and learns of Kol’s betrayal then returns to the compound while Hope attempts to help Kol. Rebekah and Marcel burn the house they are in down and during an argument they kiss with Rebekah immediately regretting it. Klaus fights with Kol as Hope unbinds the spell just as Hayley and Freya free themselves and face Inadu. With the linking spell broken Davina is freed just as Hayley kills Inadu with the dagger. Klaus releases Kol who reunites with Davina as they leave the city together. Back at the compound, Freya performs the spell to resurrect Elijah while Hayley drinks at the bayou and laments her feelings for both Jackson and Elijah. She also admits to needing strength to do something hard to keep Hope safe. Later at night, Klaus puts Hope to bed not realizing that Inadu had previously performed a spell that allowed her to take possession of her.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

The Originals fought mostly as a family to put Inadu’s new mortal form to a permanent rest, however, unforeseen by them, she now has taken control of Hope in a last ditch effort to remain in the mortal plane. Hayley’s battle is likely leading her down a new path that may once again put her at odds with the entire Mikaelson bloodline, and Jackson briefly cameo’d, this time as a wicked hallucination paired against Hayley. All this and all my interest was actually on Rebekah and Marcel having their little argument that ended quite predictably in a long overdue kiss. Davina and Kol riding off into the blackened night was understandably necessary if nothing else to give Davina a more dignified ending than becoming the ancestor’s pet spirit. I’m fine with how they ended up given Kol’s strange journey over the seasons. The rest was of course the focus for Hayley which seems to be planting harder over our heads more than usual. Once again she’s turning her situation into an impossible choice, one that probably won’t involve consulting Klaus who will of course react in various yelling ways.

THE GOOD

The relationships are always a key element in these vampire stories and while Marcel and Rebekah are busy confusing themselves over what could and should have been, Davina and Kol are very keen on their plan to explore the world now that they’re free from the evil plots within New Orleans. Hayley, is still dealing with some leftover grief regarding her choice to be with Elijah versus Jackson even though she was married to him. It’s really about relationships that help create these conflicting moments, not just the bad guys manipulating events and creating ultimatums. Even Klaus, who went to the dagger as the answer, found a way to forgive Kol in the heat of the moment because Kol relied on Klaus’s feelings toward Camille to stay his hand. Those moments are far more classic than Hayley finding the strength to stab Inadu over and over. Even Freya dealing with a vision of evil-Keelin was to herself an eye-opener that inevitability of death can be anyone’s greatest fear. A lot of poignant moments came out of tonight and we didn’t even need any scenes with Elijah, though we got two.

THE BAD

Inadu’s time as herself was very short lived. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised since we only have two episodes left, but I’m not the biggest fan of a spirit swapping from person to person keeping the essence of its core alive. Viewers should invest in an actor or actress as the villain to help understand their madness or their plight depending on how they’re presented. When several people portray the same villain, it can water down the effect greatly where I don’t really care one way or another how this creature manifests because we’ve lost all investment in it. I just think Inadu should have stayed in her true form until the end.

FAVORITE MOMENT

When Rebekah and Marcel’s argument led to their kiss. It was a very classic style of bickering and infatuation that I think only exists in the confines of television, but it helps lighten the mood and can shift the tone in favor for the characters in question. It was a fun moment, one that I’m glad ended with Rebekah whispering her obscenity as she walked off in frustration. I’m sure Marcel was thinking the same thing.

CHARACTER MVP

This shout-out will go to Kol this time. In the realm of family versus love, he tried to balance the scales as best he could knowing Klaus’s wrath was every near his heart. Still, in the end, he managed to get what he wanted and left relatively unscathed for the effort. His was the real victory if not a personal one and if I didn’t know better I’d say this was his final adieu until at least next season.

ENDING THOUGHTS

While Marcel’s role as king of the city has now been reduced to, which lovely lady does he confess eternal love to? I actually am rooting for him to choose Rebekah, if nothing else to finally get their frustrations from centuries of avoiding each other out. Marcel is the only person Rebekah loved that hasn’t been put to death and while it would have been better if Matt was still in the picture, I’d say Marcel is the next best thing for her if she really wants to try.

Vincent will have to come back into play for this final act considering Hope is now possessed by Inadu making this being the most powerful witch of all time. She’ll throw everyone across the room at the same time and not even think twice about it. I’m sure someone will mention some purging spell probably within the book Vincent tried to destroy a while back. Either way, Klaus and Hayley are going to have a field day when they find out what’s happened to their child.

I’m not certain the knot representing the linking spell was a good way to throw in something for Hope to do. Clearly, Kol couldn’t explain what she needed to do specifically so somehow he relied on some dark object that when properly straightened unlinked Davina from Inadu. I think we just have to accept the scene as it was and not really question it because it felt like it came out of nowhere. And the effects weren’t very good on screen either.

I wonder what the studios are doing to try and write the incoming 5th season since Inadu was really supposed to represent the end-all-be-all villain of the series. Will they skip ahead in time again or will they introduce an even greater foe for them to contend with? And of course, what stylized cliffhanger will they give us this time?

OVERALL SCORE

8 out 10. A family united can create the moments they need to succeed and be victorious against a common foe. Tonight’s Originals saw to the bitter end the original form of the hollow before it took refuge within Hope. If there’s still a sacrifice to be had to stop it, then Freya’s threat to use Marcel is still in effect, otherwise they’re in a world of trouble. Within Hayley’s struggle to fight Jackson and save the day, a few other couples shared some very heartfelt and lovingly funny moments, mostly in dealing with feelings that rarely get a chance to be explored. Though they’ve earned a respite and everyone’s well-dressed brother is back in the game, the real final battle is about to begin and the kingdom will once more be in jeopardy. Outside of a few glaring flaws, this was a brilliant episode with temptation and loyalty playing all-throughout. Only two episodes remain and a promise of one more journey in the city of New Orleans next year. Until next week, thanks for reading.

Inadu speaks with a dying Elijah about her inevitable return and goes to Vincent in an attempt to gain his loyalty. Meanwhile, Klaus, Freya. Hayley, Marcel, and Vincent are at odds over how to plan the hollow’s demise which may require Elijah’s death. Frustrated over no options, Freya remembers the pendant that once held Finn’s soul and speaks of using it for Elijah. Klaus instead offers to be the sacrifice while Marcel plans to subdue Sofya with Hayley’s blood. When Vincent prepares to kills Klaus, coven acolytes stop them and destroy the thorns before being eliminated. Marcel is successful in stopping Sofya but not before handing over the final bone as bait. Hayley and Freya find Elijah but the hollow’s spirit arrives to complete her spell. Klaus finds them and beckons Freya to trap Elijah’s soul in the pendant just as he’s about to die. After a power surge Freya reveals the pendant has been shattered. Later that night, Vincent goes to Marcel asking for the book as a last resort to fight the hollow. Klaus is distraught over the loss of Elijah but with Hope’s help, Freya finds that Elijah is somehow caught in the shattered pendant, but alive. Elsewhere, Inadu frees herself from a tree containing her bones and emerges in her original physical form.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

The race to save Elijah ended with a somber realization that maybe the originals shouldn’t last forever after the extended centuries they’ve been around. Be that as it may, Elijah is not lost to the void as a semblance of his spirit fractured within the broken pendant. Tonight’s Originals episode brought all our allies together in a single way to ruin the return of the hollow, however they failed in every aspect leaving Inadu clearly closer in her next step toward massive revenge. Once again, Hope becomes the saving grace and helps the group understand Elijah’s plight. The fondness for the team grows in peculiar ways as Vincent embarks on probably his most dangerous quest. With Inadu returned, how long can the group last against such a monumental force? Even if Elijah came back, there’s nothing currently available to help them rid the world of the hollow unless Hayley’s bloodline continues to be central to Inadu’s demise.

THE GOOD

The highlight for tonight’s episode really comes from Vincent and Klaus standing by their primary beliefs in what it means to sacrifice for the greater good even if they end on opposite sides of that coin. The atmosphere they provide gives their respective sides the kind of hope they need to survive without compromising completely their ideals and sentiments. With Vincent, he makes very solid points about the nature of existing for so long that one can’t continue clinging to life for the sake of it. Klaus showed he wasn’t above his own existence if it meant other in his stead would pay the price and its one of the more character driven decisions he’s made since his sacrifice during last season’s finale. Together, they drove much of this episode’s heart and soul.

THE BAD

When entire episodes hinge on a plan to be formed and carried out with precise work and dedication, a lot of those familiar beats tend to surface in consistent fashion. Of course Elijah wasn’t going to survive, and of course Inadu was going to arise at the end, and of course Hope was going to be instrumental in declaring Elijah’s survival. It deflates the overall struggle to ensure Elijah wasn’t going to die in the middle of season 4. I got more sentiment out of Vincent’s talk with Klaus over his decision than I did with anything that came after Elijah’s “death,” and that was really only because we understand how these plots work. Even if Klaus screamed hours into the night, it wouldn’t be enough to convince us that Elijah was truly gone. When characters manage the real subtle goodbyes, then you can start playing with our thoughts on the validity of real deaths on a show like this.

FAVORITE MOMENT

I mentioned it earlier, but Vincent mentioning a brief history of his upbringing in New Orleans mixed with how he thinks Cami would be proud of Klaus for what he was doing was a really nice touch to give the conversation. Klaus is nothing if not the kind of person who will finish your sentence if he thinks he’s being ridiculed or reminded of his dark deeds, but this time he was surprised by Vincent’s positive feedback. He doesn’t get it much and when he does, he’s often left speechless which in Klaus’s way means probably a “thanks” or a “Huh, didn’t realize that” kind of response.

CHARACTER MVP

Klaus made a very selfless call in deciding to die for the sake of saving Elijah. It was assuredly more calculated given his strength and knack for surviving the odds, but he was unsure of Elijah could handle the transfer. Still, he didn’t even flinch as the prospect and certainly didn’t have second thoughts later that night. I’m only half surprised he didn’t rip out his own heart and try to throw it into space to make up for the fact loss of the thorns that would have done the job as well. He had his moments with Marcel that kept him more family orientated and less caring for others like Sofya, but he’s still a work in progress. If somehow he becomes a beacon of stronger hope by saving the people of new Orleans in a strong selfless act, maybe that will finally turn things around for everyone as whole.

ENDING THOUGHTS

Naturally a lot of people are going to wonder if Elijah’s sired bloodline, Tristan included were mortally affected by Elijah’s passing. The short answer should be yes, all of Elijah’s spawn are dead, however the longer answer is, it doesn’t matter. Last season was about the sired lines and created chaos and intrigue with what an original dying would do to so many vampire characters, but at this point, we’re no longer dealing with other vampires that are necessary to the plot. If a third of the all the vampires in the world suddenly dropped dead, it won’t matter in the pocket of new Orleans. The real twist should be if Sofya was part of Elijah’s line. Clearly she wasn’t “dead” by the end of this episode so if she was part of Elijah’s blood, then we’d know for sure if his death affected others like her, however that’s probably not the case.

So if I understand it correctly, the thorns take a while to kill its victim and staking Klaus with normal wood would have accelerated that death? I’m not sure I follow that logic because normal stakes do nothing of the sort. If it was the old daggers used back in the day that would make more sense, but Klaus is so above those kinds of weapons I’m surprised they even came up with it.

Since we have a few more episodes I imagine Inadu isn’t just going to show up and earthquake the entire state into a chaotic mess. She’ll either need time to recover her old strength or she’ll come up with some wicked machination to exact a more fitting revenge for her imprisonment on all our characters. She may need help from loyal acolytes, and a base of operations. What I think it important to remember here is that no one actually knows what she looks like, so she could in theory infiltrate the group in various ways without being spotted as the hollow’s original form.

Small moments, but I really liked the soft piano melody played during Vincent and Klaus’s scene at the cemetery. It wasn’t muddled by some pop-culture song with background lyrics meant to narrate the somber feelings, but rather help accentuate the scene with some uplifting yet melancholy personality. Kudos for the restraint and score.

OVERALL SCORE

7 out of 10. The Originals told the tale of Inadu’s climactic return to the physical realm, all converging with Elijah’s death and subsequent survival in the shattered realm of the broken pendant. The Mikaelson fury will be subdued for another day as everyone will be focused on getting their brother back. Klaus and Vincent were the ones who really gave this episode a voice to be heard as the predictable nature of plans going wrong came into play. The conundrum brought to focus by Vincent was expressively the only passionate theme here in understanding how long should an immortal continue to exist once they’ve experienced everything? Given a few palpable moments, the episode was carefully above average but not quite groundbreaking in the hopes that an apparent Elijah death would be mind-warping. If in fact that’s still in the cards, next week will tell us that for sure. Thanks for reading.

As a resurrected Dominic prepares to find Marcel, Elijah forces Vincent to perform another harvest spell by sacrificing 4 coven witches. Freya attempts to trap Dominic by using Joshua however after doing so, Dominic escapes and seemingly kills Freya. After surviving an attack, Keelin resuscitates Freya but Dominic infiltrates the compound. Hope, having conversed with Marcel in the dungeon frees him as the two escape while Klaus battles and kills Dominic and his men. Vincent finishes the harvest spell and reconnects with the ancestors by using Davina as a link. Later at night, Klaus discusses an alliance with Marcel after Hope is returned home and Freya shows Elijah evidence of the next bone fragment location, which Elijah surmises is in Mystic Falls. Sofya becomes the unwilling host for the Hollow as we find it is a woman possibly connected to Hayley’s bloodline.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

Our stage is set for Alaric’s cameo next week as the Originals gain the upperhand against the villainous hollow who is forced into hiding. Klaus and Marcel are once again mirrored spirits in the same fight and at the moment at ease with their struggle. This episode showcased how you make the best out of the scenes you can with a lot of multiple characters. Everyone fit collectively well and pushed a little further their emotional agenda with possibly Hayley as the odd person out this time. Poignant moments include Vincent confronting Elijah after the spell and Marcel speaking with Hope who is showing a deeper maturity then her parents have realized. And to top it off, we have our connection tease to Mystic Falls, but who and how will show up to aid the Originals? Will we see the town at all, or just a road leading to it? We’ll see.

THE GOOD

The show is finally getting its balance of character interactions right. Klaus does his best when confronting and interacting with Marcel. Freya has given in to her feelings with Keelin, and Vincent continues to showcase frustration and anxiety over helping Elijah. Each of those dynamics played an important role in pushing each of them into uncertain and often questionable places such as Elijah forcing Vincent’s hand in performing the harvest ritual by essentially killing 4 girls with the hope that Vincent can bring them back. We also get a return look at Marcel’s thoughts about Klaus, the innocent and less judgmental kind where he admits that he can’t truly hate his father-figure no matter how hard he tries. He’s spoke of these feelings in the past, but it’s good to remember that he was raised a certain way and he never forgot the care Klaus took in for him even if it was a bit barbaric at times.

We now have a form and a mark to add some intrigue into the manifestation of the hollow. If she is in fact tied to Hayley’s bloodline or some werewolf pack in-particular then it makes sense that somehow the packs have been responsible for hiding or keeping her bones separated. It could be the longest play the werewolves have been waiting for for centuries, or maybe they were trying to hide their biggest problem considering a werewolf-witch hybrid would also be something of a chaotic blend, much like Klaus and Hayley being Werewolf-vampire hybrids and she was too self-destructive to remain alive. It’s raising a lot of questions and that makes for good speculation on videos and reviews.

THE BAD

Not much to gripe about for this episode with the exception of Hayley being a bit underutilized and set to the task of rummaging through her parents garage boxes. When you feature a cast of 6 or more main characters, it can be bothersome to have everyone play a feature role and sometimes they get pushed in the back. Her personal discoveries are what’s keeping her invested in the ensuing plot as her romantic ties to Elijah have been rather sparse as of late. There’s been very few relationship plot-points aside from Freya and Keelin which is very low for a drama like this. Even Vincent hasn’t had any time to be with the lady he had met earlier in the season.

FAVORITE MOMENT

When Hope spoke with Marcel in the dungeon. I feel like this moment was the real highlight of the episode, a very casual way of reminding us where this show came from with Klaus and Marcel and in a way how he’s talking to a “sister” in Hope. I also felt this was Hope’s first real breakout moment. Kids written on shows can be quite inquisitive but it’s the statement they make that stand out rather than their wonder and her statement is that her parents have been underestimating her. Plus, Marcel treated her very respectfully instead of trying to be conniving or manipulative which speaks volumes to his personality and state of mind. He’s still a good character at heart even when dealing with a father-figure like Klaus.

CHARACTER MVP

Klaus and Marcel returned to their old-fashioned alliance for the sake of Hope and the good of the city, but I think Vincent held a little more value in how he handled Elijah’s forceful hand and the ingenuity with using Davina to link to the ancestors. He’s quick on his feet and very robust but there’s always intensity in his speech and his gestures in how he works. Plus, confronting Elijah about his humanity in the end was bold on his part because Elijah doesn’t really like being talked to in that way. You can always spot the offensive boredom in his eyes as he’s quietly deciding whether to rip someone’s heart out or not, but I think for once, Vincent got to him in a more effective way.

ENDING THOUGHTS

I think they could have had a little more fun with the scene when Josh was turned into Marcel. There was a couple of jokes, but outside of that, they have a golden opportunity to have “Marcel” try to be more like Josh. It was funny and unexpected and it won’t ever happen…like ever again.

Freya is a witch, but she’s also human. Her heart stopped for a lot longer than I think it could have while still being resuscitated by normal means. Something was off there medically speaking, but for show with so much supernatural elements going on, I’m surprised all it took was a simple heart-thumping to get her back again.

I almost suspected the hollow for being Davina herself, they sounded so similar in voice and age. Peeking at the preview next week I’m actually stoked her character is also making a comeback of sorts. I think next week is going to be our most impressive episode to date, just throwing that out there. Klaus will no doubt have some sort of vibe with Caroline should she cameo or he mention her. We all know we want to see it and the Originals may be privy to the events that caused Stefan to sacrifice himself, assuming we’re in the present tense of the storyline here and all that has already happened.

The thorns really fizzled out in this storyline. I suppose once you introduce things like white-oak stakes and white-oak bullets, nothing really fazes the Originals anymore. It’s so far back in the confines of the plot when Dominic showed up with essentially a thorn-covered branch, there wasn’t any real fear there. I doubt it will play much of a role moving forward except as a clutch moment when we forget about it and it shows up to take out someone we dearly care about, but that’s the only way I can see it mattering at this point.

OVERALL SCORE

8 out of 10. Marcel is free, the ancestors are once more connected to the living and the hollow is now possessing Sofya who will be after the other two bone fragments, one of which is in Mystic Falls. Freya and Keelin have now admitted their real feelings toward each other and Hope is proving to be more understanding of the world surrounding her. This was a total win for team Klaus this time, but as always, a win will come with a steep loss soon enough. Elijah may or may not be in need of some soul searching if he continues pushing Vincent into these dire circumstances that will question his humanity. The hollow is on the run and we know for sure Alaric will be in next week episode. Very exciting times if you’re a TVD/TO fan. Thanks for reading.

Elijah and Klaus throw a party to give the illusion that they are in a truce with Marcel while Vincent helps to locate defacto followers of the Hollow. Meanwhile, Freya assists Hayley in recounting the events that caused her parent’s deaths. The memory leads Hayley to a storage unit where she finds a human jaw-bone within a stuffed teddy bear. During the party, Sofia confronts Klaus revealing the thorns as her weapons but Klaus convinces her to give them up in exchange for Marcel’s release. After Vincent discovers that Dominic is a follow of the Hollow, Elijah meets with him and refuses an offer to hand over both Vincent and Marcel to his master. Instead, Elijah kills Dominic in front of the party as a warning to those who follow the Hollow. After Klaus refuses to release Marcel, Sofia reveals that 500 years ago, Klaus murdered her family in Russia including her sister and has sworn vengeance since. Later that night, Hayley returns with the bone and the group realize that the Hollow requires a quartet of bones belonging to the Hollow’s original body including the bone dagger which was stolen under Klaus’s nose. Dominic’s body is later seen being cared for by other minions of the Hollow and with the bone dagger is somehow resurrected as possibly the Hollow itself.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

A bit more of the waiting game comes as the Mikaelsons organize in typical party fashion a plan to fumigate the followers of the Hollow. While Sofia loses most of not all of her thorn-like weapons, she does gain the location of Marcel who she’ll likely break out sooner than later. What pushes the arc forward is the seemingly return of the Hollow through Dominic’s body as probably a temporary means to exist in the flesh until its quartet of bones have been reunited. I like that the bone dagger is directly associated with the Hollow’s original body and I do wonder what the other two bone fragments will consist of. Perhaps a femur and an ulna. Who knows. Not much else moved forward with the exception of Vincent and Freya having a brief discussion of what they gave up and lost and the justifications behind their actions as of late. It was mostly a decent episode that included an old classic of heart-removal by Elijah himself.

THE GOOD

One aspect that helps in giving at least some sympathetic qualities is learning an opponent’s backstory. By hearing Sofia’s brief tale, we understand at long last where her vengeance is coming from. Klaus was sarcastically apologetic because he’s never known for remorse of that nature, but given enough time, maybe something can be done that won’t require Sofia’s death, however given the scorecard as of late, I doubt she’ll finish the season in one piece. In any case, we have more emphasis on a supporting villain and it’s better than nothing.

Hayley’s past is now justifiably making more sense although hiding a bone inside a teddy bear seems a little off. I think it would have been just as good if it was tucked away inside a coffee jar, but Hayley probably wouldn’t have easily found it there. It gives her a connection to the Hollow although I can’t imagine it’s going to get much more complicated than that. I’d probably make it so she’s the one to find the other two pieces, just so she has viable screentime.

THE BAD

The subplot with the thorns I feel was utterly wasted. At this point we don’t know if Sofia gave up all the thorns or whether there’s more to go around. Her comment that she had enough to kill the family ten times over suggests she has another supply, but we won’t know that until it’s revealed. Klaus barely batted an eyelash to her seemingly fatal threat and weapon and if Klaus isn’t scared, why should we be? The show can’t afford to lay a Mikaelson to permanent rest this early in the season so the threat these thorns possess are essentially empty until the show decides to really step up its game and kill its primary cast.

FAVORITE MOMENT

When Sofia revealed to Klaus why she hates him. There’s humanity in the tears that nearly came from her exposition on her family’s murder by his hands. It will probably be the only time we feel any kind of sympathy for her, but it’s equally important how Klaus handled the information by being jovial and ever the threat caster. Klaus really doesn’t have time to be sorrowful over acts performed centuries ago, but if there’s any chance his ego can take a break he can understand how there will always be moments he needs to face where his past transgressions have caused pain in others. It was a potent moment they shared with us.

CHARACTER MVP

Elijah was essentially in control and performing all the marquee decision making for both Klaus and Vincent. He’s shouldering a bit more of the necessary kills and calls because he needs almost desperately to keep Klaus as clean-cut from the violence as he can make it. We’re seeing now more than ever his attempt at keeping Klaus on the straight and narrow path of redemption by alleviating that stress even though it will probably create some issues in the near future. So far, he’s proving to be a very stand-up sibling.

ENDING THOUGHTS

The unending supply of Hollow minions is getting slightly out of hand. At this point I think we should assume, there are hundreds of acolytes that for some reason want to worship this powerful ghost and there’s no getting rid of them all. I don’t particularly like that style of storytelling mainly because these characters are paper-weights that have no substance or meaning except when one or two rise through the ranks like Dominic but even he couldn’t really stand up to the Mikaelsons except perhaps in this new form assuming he’s still in the driver’s seat.

I’m half expecting a scene later down the road where Klaus and Elijah open a door and seen Kol and Rebekah tied up ready to be sacrificed for the return of the Hollow. It probably won’t be that cut and dry, but I think that’s what we can expect to see when they inevitably return. I still suspect at least one Mikaelson won’t make it out of this season alive. And don’t they dare let it be Rebekah.

Still no sign of any TVD character cameos and I’m starting to think there won’t be any. Hopefully it’s not a lost cause. Heck, even a phone call to Mystic Falls would actually be a nice nod. Here’s to the possibility.

I’m also hopeful we’ll get a nice flashback to the time period in which the Hollow character thrived and was originally taken out. They tend to do their flashbacks pretty well and it helps give that extra context we need to understand a villains situation as most characters are on this show were driven to evil as opposed to being born of it. We’ll see.

OVERALL SCORE

7 out of 10. Klaus pulls back on his majestic qualities to wreck havoc in favor of Elijah’s more personal concern as the Hollow inches closer toward its inevitable return. Sofia’s past is revealed as is her knowledge of Marcel’s guarded location. Most of the episode dealt with the discovery of Dominic’s association with the Hollow and Hayley’s familial connection to the bones of the Hollow’s former shell. Most of the character development was handled by Elijah being more of a physical conscience to Klaus as he convinced him to hold back on some necessary violence which could foreshadow some deeper sacrifices in the coming future. Keelin and Freya remain undoubtedly infatuated which was also good to see them taking their time to let their feelings breathe instead of rushing too fast into it. This was the episode that had quality build up and a reveal that fit an old weapon into the mythos of the recent villain. The questions remain on whether Marcel will be freed soon to aid or hinder the Mikaelson’s plan and also whether the return of Dominic is portent of the Hollow or the Hollow itself. Thanks for reading.

Hayley, Klaus, Freya, and Elijah return to New Orleans and meet Vincent, but he’s unable to cleanse Hope of her illness. When Detective Kinney is found to be allied with the group worshiping what becomes known as “The Hollow” Vincent and Elijah confront him and attempt to locate the missing kids. Meanwhile, Hayley and Marcel visit the bayou and find a member of the group who is a werewolf of the crescent moon pack. Once allied with the group, she takes her life having regretted the path she took in service to The Hollow. After meeting up in the woods, Hayley, Marcel, Klaus, Elijah, and Vincent search for the group and the missing kids while Freya and Keelin break into Marcel’s home in search for his venom. At night, the group is found and killed including Kinney however Marcel and Klaus are lured within a burning circle as their bodies unknowingly become anchors to The Hollow. Vincent transfers the spell holding the kids into Elijah and temporarily kills him to free everyone including Hope. However, after everyone is seemingly relieved at stopping The Hollow Marcel comes to realize he is affected as Hope sees her father is also affected by The Hollow.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

This show certainly knows how to build up it’s cliffhangers with the current music these days. The Originals embarks on manifesting the new big-bad and now it has a name, but does it have a human form that can be killed? Like all powerful forces, this may be a simple case of creating a mortal coil and destroying it to eliminate the threat, but for now we have to contend with Marcel and Klaus, the two more powerful characters on the show and suffer an unseen wrath barely glimpsed by Hope herself. Freya’s subplot was the only sore thumb on this episode keeping to seems like a blood oath toward killing Marcel, an act that coincidentally everyone may need to stop him as he grows more evil in the future. The Mikaelsons are back in town, and I suspect they won’t be going anywhere for the remainder of the season. Another build-up episode to mark the coming of a spiritual evil that is worshipped by some, and feared by the rest. Outside of a few tender moments it was a very run-of-the-mill episode containing a bit more of that soft Klaus. The bad Klaus will probably be making an appearance sooner than we think.

THE GOOD

The introduction to the Hollow is a slow burn, but so far we understand that innocence isn’t what it needs to anchor into the real world but real powerful entities such as Klaus and Marcel. What that entails for the future we can’t be certain as they may still have free reign over their normal personalities and decisions, but deep down, something will compel them to commit horrific acts or at the very least serve as conduits to The Hollow itself which we still don’t know is a single force or a team of evil things. This has a very similar vibe to the last season of TVD where Damon and Enzo were essentially “controlled” by the siren to do their bidding and feed her so they could become more powerful and walk the earth plane. If The Hollow wants to exist in a vessel, it will be interesting to see if it claims Marcel, Klaus or someone new we haven’t seen yet. Vincent is a candidate too since he’s been taken over by spirits before. All in all, situations like this will cause characters to question their loyalties and undermine the situation, which is what compels dramas like these.

THE BAD

Introducing groups and killing them all off in a single episode doesn’t lend much credibility in the force they’re serving, or the people themselves. No names or backstories or anything to tie us into caring much about the conflict put in the episode. At least Hayley had a moment with the werewolf lady, Laura, but even then we’re given so little go on and then she just dies by her own hand. For much of this episode, everyone had a one-track mind and the only real emotional elements were once gain Klaus’s uplifting words to Hope and Hayley asking Elijah that they need to change their ways about putting family first no matter who gets hurt. This show needs more of that personal conflict, and not just a group of vampires and witches on a single mission to lay waste to all that stands in their way. Without that emotional conflict, they’re just shells with dull lines spoken repeatedly. Vincent is the only character so far that will be animated no matter what he does and at least that keeps him more entertaining than the rest of the cast.

FAVORITE MOMENT

Probably the final moment of the episode. Marcel’s vision of the glass cracking mixed with Hope aimlessly wandering the Mikaelson home and seeing her father’s blue eyes was a haunting glimpse into what’s to come. Two kings of the city suffering the same ill affects of a powerful entity and so far there’s little they can do about it but absorb its will and manifest it however it wants. Hope seems to understand what’s happening enough to probably tell her mother and the others what’s happening, assuming she’s not lured into some state where she can’t help at all. It was a nice closing segment to end the episode.

CHARACTER MVP

Vincent had some quick thinking and the most emotional outbreak after losing his friend, Kinney. He’s lost a lot and continues to try and fight the good fight in hopes the city is protected by the right people. At the heart of his cause lies a dangerous truth that he’s still responsible for this Hollow’s presence and may be tied to it closer than we think. He’s putting in the best effort he can and for that, he’s the MVP tonight.

ENDING THOUGHTS

Is Laura’s suicide a sign of more werewolves returning to rectify Hayley’s absence? It makes me think the wolves will make some sort of play since they’ve been given so little to do over the seasons but it would be nice if they had more to offer as they seem to be the one element that’s the least affected by New Orleans and its inner turmoil.

We’re into episode 4 and we’re still given only the smallest of abilities that lie within Hope. Even as a newborn, she had more abilities than what she’s been capable of so far in this season. I’m not expecting the phoenix force to rise out of her or anything, but at some point she has to be the circulating factor that puts an end to all the evil surrounding this city. Everything should point to that unless there’s other cards at play we don’t know about yet.

It would also be interesting to see how far back this Hollow dates itself. Klaus never heard of it and he’s arguably the oldest character this show has ever had notwithstanding other spirits and characters like Silas and other villains of TVD. I think we should be treated with another flashback that deals with the origin of this force once we fully understand what its there to do and how its going to manifest once it takes human form, because all shapeless characters need human form, and a snarky sarcastic attitude.

Hayley asking Elijah what he was prepared to do is an interesting tease to their first real struggle as a couple. If he’s unwavering in his loyalty and stalwart sense of protection, than they may reach an impasse when he’s forced to once again make a hard decision, one that she may not be comfortable with. Just don’t force it and make it feel manufactured. They’re fine a couple right now and do care for each other, that much and get and support. Breaking them up is a normal process for shows like this, but do it so it make sense. So far, I get it and it’s fine. He’s less likely to change unless his character has some more growth to go through.

OVERALL SCORE

6 out of 10. The Originals doesn’t score too high tonight as the breadcrumbs they followed led to a rather lack-luster climax and a new promise to convert the two more powerful characters into puppets of a stronger evil. Freya’s subplot will either be a significant problem pitting sister against other family members, or the very thing they need to battle an overtaken Marcel who as of now can only visualize what’s happening to him. Klaus himself may already have a better clue since he at least “tried” to ignore the blue light, only failing to do so because Marcel is an idiot. The next arc in this season is taking shape quickly which is a good thing since we don’t have a lot of time to handle this show’s likely final storyline. More weight needs to be added mixed with hard decisions and emotional dilemmas. The more anger and neck-snaps there are, the better this season will get once The Hollow becomes fully realized. Until next week. Thanks for reading.

Klaus and the others take up residence at Hayley’s home while Marcel and Vincent continue to search for the missing children. Klaus connects with Hope as Kol and Rebekah leave to find their own purpose. Hayley and Elijah allow Keelin to escape but Freya recaptures her and offers her a deal of freedom in exchange for scientific help on killing Marcel. Vincent and Marcel find the children but are attacked by a witch loyal to the dark force within New Orleans. After killing him, Vincent reverses the spell placed on the children only to find Hope is affected as well. Marcel allows the Mikaelsons to return to the city to cure her even though Klaus fears it may be a trap. As the children are taken to the hospital they are commandeered by Detective Will Kinney who appears to be under the influence of the dark force as well.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

It didn’t take long for some wretched element to force the oldest vampires back to their city, only this time they’ll be short a few siblings. The Originals widens the net and captures everyone into the same sinister plot involving a force directly tied to the city itself. The origin of the evil will prove fascinating as it’s always been about the city from day one. Klaus’s casual moments spent with his daughter are among the most sacred while Vincent’s past is shed one more layer revealing aspects of Eva we weren’t privy to before. Elijah and Hayley rekindle their romance which means one of them will probably be in danger soon because a show like this won’t keep too many relationships alive if not for the cyclical act of suffering to be had.

THE GOOD

Tender Klaus is a happy Klaus. What we have here is the beginning of his path to a peaceful and proper existence raising a daughter who wants to understand where she comes from. Much of the framework had been given to him by Hayley, and so far he’s staying true to Camilla’s words about being selfless and good. He’ll need help even from his enemies if he’s truly going to protect her and that will be one of the more interesting tests he goes through for the sake of saving Hope.

Vincent’s rough past with Eva now gives us some more explanation into the origin of the dark force, whatever it technically is. We now know he was going to be a father and whatever had control of him made him do things against his will and memory. Outside of that he’s very set on doing the right thing including saving Hope which will put him in Klaus’s good graces, assuming Klaus doesn’t believe it was a set up. Vincent has been a key player with good intentions toward the witch community and the citizens in general, and seeing what happened to Eva only makes his path that much more crowded in chaos than we knew. It’s starting to look more and more like he himself will become a sacrifice in some play later in the season.

THE BAD

Rebekah and Kol leaving the show once again isn’t so much as a surprise as it is a redundant foot note. There may simply not be enough plot to keep them around so excuses are made and they leave town to find themselves especially Rebekah who wants a family of some sort. How that will work is anyone’s guess, but if Hayley and Klaus can make it happen, I’m sure Rebekah will find a way too. Kol has issues and with Davina gone doesn’t have much of a place given he’s not at terrifyingly evil as he was once made out to be. Given his carefree attitude as of late I can’t imagine he’ll be taking on too many heroic quests in the near future, but hopefully Rebekah will keep him on track for the most part. It’s just a shame they may not be coming back much if at all and there’s no telling if this is in fact the final season or not.

FAVORITE MOMENT

I think it’s easily safe to say Klaus sharing those moments with Hope were particularly encouraging most specifically when they shared some acts of drawing. Having something to be good for is the first step in fighting for one’s self and Klaus rarely does anything good unless it’s in the favor of someone he cares for. It’s a beginning that will shift into something more central for him, but for now, his daughter is giving him all the “hope” he needs to be a good father. And as for the art, it was a generous way to bring them together so quickly and they needed to within the one day they had.

CHARACTER MVP

Vincent pulled a lot of weight this time around especially given the heartfelt anguish he felt when trying to save Eva only to mystically lose their child to the dark force that’s plaguing the city. If he tries to do too much he’ll probably lose more than he handle including having to once again explain that Adam is missing and may not survive what’s happening the second time around. If there’s a peaceful end, Vincent should be the one to find it, but more and more he’s suffering the fate of the martyr who just wants peace in his city.

ENDING THOUGHTS

So far, Hope is still being tied to a witch bloodline of some sort regardless of Hayley and Klaus’s hybrid lives. She’s shown to have mystical healing and an awareness of events surrounding her, but she too is just as afflicted as the other children. I wouldn’t expect her to go phoenix any time soon, but I do wonder if she’ll have a moment where her abilities burst out when Klaus or Hayley are put in danger and she witnesses it.

Freya is trying to secretly uncover a way to kill Marcel. The scientific approach is a little left field because it’s not a consistent aspect of the show. Magic and the supernatural should rarely be mixed in with scientific explanations and biological themes. If we dull down the microbiology of how being a vampire or a werewolf works, we lose some of the mysticism that shows like this provide. Freya may find this answer she needs, but it’ll seem a little cheap given her immense power already.

I expect Marcel, Klaus and Elijah to have one or two more fisticuffs before all is said and done. Maybe a few neck-snaps here and there for good measure. Once Klaus realizes Marcel isn’t behind Hope’s illness maybe they’ll bury the hatchet and move on to more pressing concerns. Marcel still may take a grand fall before this is all over, but for now, he’s settling on doing the right thing because he doesn’t want to see innocents hurt. Let’s just hope Klaus believes him from the get go.

I think it’s safe to say Kinney isn’t acting on his own accord. That could mean other humans may be easily swayed into working under the dark force, or if he is aware then the evil’s allies could be entirely numerous and unseen giving anyone free reign to be untrustworthy. Whatever the case may be, we’re likely to see more examples of this as time goes on and I’m guessing it will result in a major character death at some point before too long.

OVERALL SCORE

7 out of 10. It wasn’t going to take long for the Mikaelsons to return to New Orleans and with Hope in despair, the clock is ticking. There were some fascinating looks into Klaus’s passive performance and Vincent’s tragic past including some outward thinking from Freya, but there wasn’t anything truly captivating aside from what we found out about Eva. Kol and Rebekah leaving won’t do the show any favors but it will give Klaus and Elijah breathing room from their siblings and that’s two less Mikaelsons they have to worry about. Into the city we return as this final evil tied to the city begins waking up. But it is truly malevolent, and does it just want the city cleansed of all supernatural forces. We’ll find out soon. Thanks for reading.